The FAQ I found at www.miata.net leans towards using a Factory
replacement battery. I have always gone with aftermarket batteries in my
other Mazda’s because the factory batteries were always inferior. The
FAQ one comment was that the other batteries did not fit as well. The
other is the acid issue, but I will go with a sealed gel type battery.
Thanks
Kris Eckols
Ke…@Lilly.com
’92 Sunburst Yellow
… I finally replaced my MGB batteries with 1 in a marine case in the
trunk… but that was before "sealed" batteries… I thought the idea of
sealed was they didnt leak, either hydrogen gas nor acid?.. solo
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On Thu, 23 Jan 1997 10:45:00 -0500, Kris Eckols <Ke…@Lilly.com> wrote:
>The FAQ I found at http://www.miata.net leans towards using a Factory
>replacement battery. I have always gone with aftermarket batteries in my
>other Mazda’s because the factory batteries were always inferior. The
>FAQ one comment was that the other batteries did not fit as well. The
>other is the acid issue, but I will go with a sealed gel type battery.
>Thanks
>Kris Eckols
>Ke…@Lilly.com
>’92 Sunburst Yellow
You know, in the last five years, I’ve bought two batteries for my
van, while my buddy’s ’90 miata is still on its original battery. If
my luck holds out, I expect my miata battery to last 5+ years too.
At that rate, I’ll just stay with the OEM factory gel-cell, instead of
taking a gamble on a lead-acid.
In article <19970209063701.BAA28…@ladder01.news.aol.com> teh…@aol.com (Tehdoi) writes:
+If my luck holds out, I expect my miata battery to last 5+ years too.
+At that rate, I’ll just stay with the OEM factory gel-cell, instead of
+taking a gamble on a lead-acid.
Gel Cells are lead acid. They just aren’t wet cells.
Or are they putting NiCads in the cars?
I went ahead and bought the factory. I know by the time I had to add
shipping and handling, the difference probably wouldn’t buy me a
burger. The old battery did last 5 years and took some abuse.
Since the car does sit idle for extended periods, I have considered an
on-board charger.
Gel vs Lead/Acid: Yep, they are the same. The gelly filling just costs
more.
Kris Eckols
92 Sunburst Yellow
In article <32FFA599.2…@ntrnet.net>, eckoe…@ntrnet.net says…
>I went ahead and bought the factory. I know by the time I had to add
>shipping and handling, the difference probably wouldn’t buy me a
>burger. The old battery did last 5 years and took some abuse.
>Since the car does sit idle for extended periods, I have considered an
>on-board charger.
>Gel vs Lead/Acid: Yep, they are the same. The gelly filling just costs
>more.
>Kris Eckols
>92 Sunburst Yellow
They are not =quite= the same. Gel batteries =must= be charged at a lower finishing voltage (not
to exceed 14.2 volts). The Miata charging system is set up for this, but an external charger
should not exceed 2 amps =unless= it as a "smart", "dual", or someother mode to detect the
construction of the battery and regulate the finishing voltage.
Using too high a finishing voltage will induce heat inside the battery. The battery will "gas"
(there are one-way vents to allow that), and when it cools down it will have less "acid" in it
(not covering all the plates). The side walls will "implode" slightly (a visual clue that this
has happened).
I know this because I service electric wheelchairs for a living and most run on deep cycle gel
batteries.
-=Stu=- (96 black/black)